Diagnostics Evaluation Platform

LSTM have developed a Diagnostics Evaluation Platform with long-standing collaborators to facilitate quality diagnostics evaluations that are informative to policy makers and diagnostic developers. Field testing locations include Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and Malawi, where LSTM has well established links with centres with expertise in diagnostics for HIV, TB, Malaria and Leishmaniasis. Within LSTM’s Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease (CNTD) we have access to numerous field evaluation sites including Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania for Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Onchocerciasis, and Soil Transmitted Helminths.

LSTM have developed a Diagnostics Evaluation Platform with long-standing collaborators to facilitate quality diagnostics evaluations that are informative to policy makers and diagnostic developers. Field testing locations include Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and Malawi, where LSTM has well established links with centres with expertise in diagnostics for HIV, TB, Malaria and Leishmaniasis. Within LSTM’s Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease (CNTD) we have access to numerous field evaluation sites including Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania for Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Onchocerciasis, and Soil Transmitted Helminths.

Other partners in Asia and Latin America collaborate on specific evaluations including Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Malaria and HIV.

Previous evaluations that have impacted on policy decisions include:

Demonstration that same-day smear microscopy is non-inferior to the 2-3 day spot-morning-spot routines for TB which helped to change WHO guidelines

WHO-TDR report on rapid diagnostics tests for Visceral Leishmaniasis – impact on procurement and re-development of tests in East Africa

Large-scale evaluations of GeneXpert to allow its rapid implementation

Demonstration of 4th Generation testing for acute HIV

Examples of evaluations that are recent or on-going include:

Head to head evaluations of TBDx, Genedrive and Fluorotype against GeneXpert and culture in Nigeria for TB diagnosis

Evaluation of the Genedrive in children in Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

LAMP for the diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in East Africa and in the elimination campaign for VL in Bangladesh.

Mycolic acids detection for the diagnosis of TB in serum

Molecular tools for the diagnosis of Malaria in elimination settings of South East Asia and East Africa.

Our team includes clinical scientists, biomedical scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists, diagnostic evaluators and laboratory managers. We maintain comprehensive data collection capabilities for in-depth analysis and collaborate within large consortia including health economics, the Tropical Clinical Trials Unit (tCTU), industry, and medical practitioners within the NHS and elsewhere.

If your company or institute would like to contact the LSTM diagnostic evaluation platform please email: emily.adams@lstmed.ac.uk